Long Tail Games are back with another fun idea (I adored their 'Tiny Tome' of one-page RPGs and spotlighted it here), and this time it is a series of fifty one cards themed around 'Modern Fantasy' that each focus on one small aspect of TTRPG design, rules, gameplay, and world-building! The idea is that each of these cards are system agnostic, and can be combined in any way the user likes in order to create a game in a mosaic-like fashion, or even just enhance a game or world that is already in existence! Each card uses the MOSAIC Strict RPG Design system and what has resulted is a collection of fascinating, focused concepts that when combined have the power to inspire an interesting and unique world and play experience for facilitators and players alike!
A Modern Fantasy Weather System (Marceline Leiman)
Based on the idea of Markov Chains, 'A Modern Fantasy Weather System' is a single card weather system set in a modern fantasy setting.
On the surface, a weather system is a simple enough concept! But I particularly loved the method in which it is rolled (which creates a very fluid experience when deciding on weather conditions for players that emulates actual weather patterns well). The weather concepts themselves were also very intriguing - watch out for 'Metallic Rain', 'Vampiric Light' and 'Humorous Fog'!
A Precocious Urchin (Adam Schwaninger)
Through obligation or happenstance, your TTRPG character has a kid tagging along. Indulge your inner Pedro Pascal by following the prompts on the card when the time is right.
Anyone who has enjoyed The Mandalorian or The Last Of Us will probably find this trope a fun one to play with, and I love that it is written as a checklist for the players to work their way through and get the NPC child 'sidekick' more involved in role-play. The best thing about it is that it can really be applied to any setting or situation and it would work. Suddenly, what at first may seem to be someone extra they need to protect may now become a useful and welcome addition to the group!
A Slightly Cursed Flea Market (OhBoardGames)
Among the riches of dubious nature, enveloped in all the smells of your town, sits the Trader. He smiles and hands you the item. Free of charge, but paired with a little inconvenience.
This card is both interesting in its approach and provides a very useful little item generator as an added bonus! Taking the mundane, and finding interesting ways for it to both benefit and gently frustrate its user just by choosing verbs to add alongside the item really gives it a fun mechanic, and a GM might choose to make the item with the player as a little bit of added fun during gameplay!
And Then What Happens? (Meghan Cross)
Have you ever been playing your favorite fantasy TTRPG and suddenly you don't know what to do next? Now there's a (business card) game for that! 'And Then What Happens?' will help you figure out what happens when the action hits a lull with prompts for both social & combat encounters!
I got very excited when I saw that Meghan had submitted something for this project because I really enjoy her games and TTRPG contributions! This particular one serves as a very handy quest generator of sorts if a facilitator is feeling stuck for ideas or in need of something interesting to happen quickly. I have a personal weakness for random encounter tables too, which might be why I like it so much!
Anti Verbal Wizard Law (Gwendol_The_Goblin)
Magic Is illegal and Wizards are forbidden to speak lest they cast a spell. How do you roleplay when you cannot make a sound?
The concept of this one is very appealing to me because I have always been fascinated by the idea of creative, non-verbal role-play. I love Kenkus in D&D 5e for the same reason as their players often have to think outside the box, but I find that many people playing them grow frustrated by not being able to contribute effectively at times. This makes the experience more manageable by perhaps restricting it to just one particular city or area, and playing with the classic 'No magic allowed!' trope.
Arcane Underground (Junk Food Games)
Arcane Underground is a tiny, one-card magic system that allows you to tap into the magic of old underground utility lines in a city.
While this is a very simple concept, that was actually one of the things I loved most about it! Of course a fantastical city will still have power, gas, sewage, and water systems. And there is every chance that they will each tap into a very old magic that users of the arcane could tap into and draw from. I loved that each benefit had a cost, and a facilitator could definitely use a system like this to come up with their own ideas!
Between Stranger Shores (CABBAGEHEAD)
'Between Stranger Shores' is a collection of tiny games/places/rules about death and resurrection. The stories they tell and mechanics they provide are fit for any tabletop game. Just slot them in where you like, roll some 10-sided dice and play!
This one is very interesting because many TTRPGs have mechanics for character death, and not all of them are satisfying. Some players prefer a heavy toll, while others find it no fun and like to have options to resurrect. The rulesets provided here strike a little bit of a balance between the two with ideas about what might be lost in the attempt to chase life again. I enjoyed the clear inspiration drawn from Greek mythology too, and I'll certainly be incorporating ideas from here into my own games!
Bloodlust: A TTRPG Injury System (Unknown Dungeon)
'Bloodlust' is a modular wounds system for urban fantasy TTRPGs - specifically for games that feature monstrous player characters such as vampires and werewolves. Whenever a character gets injured their instincts kick in, bringing out their monstrous side and making them even more dangerous. But embracing the bloodlust comes with a risk, go too far and they'll lose what makes them human forever and be devoured by their true nature.
Seeing as they host the One-Page RPG Jam, I had a feeling that Unknown Dungeon's contribution would be good. This gives a very interesting system for creatures that have a monstrous side to them to abide by, but it can certainly be flavoured to fit all kinds of character archetypes and concepts. Weighing up the costs and benefits of an action is part of the fun for many players, and this system certainly leans into that!
Blossoms Of Power (Hessan Yongdi)
Blossoms of Power is a simple tool that helps you create spells or supernatural powers for your roleplaying characters. Combine concepts, elements of their personality and background, or the things around them to create their abilities on a Venn diagram-like blossom!
Quite often, when I imagine the magic that my TTRPG characters might wield, I find myself drawn to particular feelings, colours, or concepts. And that can be hard to translate into descriptive magic when you can visualise it so well. This system is actually a really useful way of creating spells that feel personal and deeply tied to the magic you intended for your character, and is certainly far more interesting than picking from a spell list.
Build-A-Lair: Blueprint Edition (Warped Board Games)
Sometimes all you want to do is create a lair to draw in some do-gooder heroic types, but designing it all can be so exhausting. Luckily 'Build-A-Lair: Blueprint Edition' is here to ease your architectural woes! With this card sized helper, a six-sided die, and the method of your choice to record the map, you too can be digging out a volcanic lair for tormenting players in no time!
Honestly, one of my weaknesses is a good 'lair creation' game or ruleset. And, punny title aside, this is a pretty fun one! If you want to create a villain's hideaway in a pinch, then I thoroughly recommend using this as it has some fun ideas that can be flavoured for lots of different settings! I also noticed that there is a 'Familiar Edition' of this game to create a fun familiar for your villains (or players) to interact with!
BURN IT ALL DOWN (Styx Inflight Entertainment)
Long has fire been humanity’s weapon against the dark, though its scourge will burn all indiscriminately. Consider the usage of this option only in the most dire of situations.
Sometimes players get themselves into situations. Be it out of their own foolish recklessness, or down to terrible luck with the dice rolls, they find themselves in need of a drastic measure that they can fall back on. And whether its a literal or metaphorical fire, this card provides a way for them to potentially escape with the understanding that it be used as a last resort as this level of catastrophe is usually indiscriminate in its victims.
Call Of The Shadow Monarch (CardBoard Cultist)
This is a single card - incantation instructions for casting 'Call of the Shadow Monarch' spell.
Somehow the very short description for what this was made it incredibly ominous, and actually served to intrigue me more! It does exactly as it describes, and provides the instructions to cast a very powerful spell that may help them, but does so in a way that requires them to answer questions about their relationship with such a spell.
Chthonic Metro Gods (Exeunt Press)
Awaken the gods beneath the city - Chthonic Metro Gods is a set of modular cards for use in any roleplaying game system. Gather the symbols of the sleeping God's power. Watch the skies to determine when the time is right. Perform the rituals in order to feel their embrace.
I was excited to have a look at what Exeunt Press had come up with because I knew it would be GOOD, and I was not disappointed! Whatever genre of fantasy or sci-fi you might be leaning into, these cards provide an interesting way for your villains to disrupt the world you've built or a player to interact with it! Not to mention they are beautifully designed!
d8 Modern Slimes (SummerTimeAlice)
A list of slimes for modern fantasy role-play. Each one has unique effects on contact or when ooze is harvested and consumed. Use them in anything you want!
A very simple concept, but my goodness is this CUTE?! I love the little ooze designs and it serves as some great inspiration for a game in which oozes are a big feature (as someone who had fun with Slime Rancher, it works). I also feel like these would make adorable little familiars for players? The possibilities are endless!
Digital Fae Collection (Lucky Newt Games)
Here's a fae-inspired collection that can do some fun and useful things, from an Electric Tail that help restore health when plugged in, to a very different sort of GPS. But be sure to be careful with them; fae are tricksters, after all!
I liked this take on 'modern fantasy' a lot, a sort of Cyberpunk-esque look at the Fae realm and how they could cause their own kind of mischief in the digital world. This table provides a good source of inspiration for items that might exist with that kind of crossover, and inspires facilitators to think outside the box!
Dumpster Diving (AmidaBosatsu)
Cities are packed full of people and their trash. Sidewalks and alleyways are literally littered with dumpsters, trash cans, and bags of trash. In a modern fantasy setting, dumpster diving is the ideal way to find what you need. Someone's trash could very well be your treasure.
How many times have you had a player say 'I want to root around and see if I find something useful'? For me, it is quite often and it is normally because they need something in a pinch. 'Dumpster Diving' provides a system in which players are able to do so, but in a way that feels realistic and not giving into the players dreams of just happening to find the right spell component or weapon just when they need it most.
Glitch Gremlins/The Bookshelf Boys (TrueFeyQueen888)
'Glitch Gremlins' describes a retro arcade, Y2K, online gaming inspired monster. 'The Bookshelf Boys' speaks of the tiny and whimsical inkblot beings who secretly live in myriad worlds between pages on your bookshelf.
Very simple in concept, these two cards give ideas for two different creatures that can be inserted into any game. 'Glitch Gremlins' appeals to the 'modern' part of the Modern Fantasy theme, while 'The Bookshelf Boys' feels more fantastical. Both have the potential to be very mischievous troublemakers in any game!
Hexring (Shrike Tabletop)
Hexring is a character creation model where everything is inventory, and everything that is true about your character occupies inventory slots. An augmentation may take a slot of the Vigor hex for example, but so does an imposed wound. Surpass your slots, and risk negative effects!
I love it when designers get creative with character creation and rulesets, and Hexring is a great example of having some fun with inventory systems! In it, everything your character has - gear, skills, vigor, etc. becomes part of the inventory, and filling up each hex by too much has some kind of consequence! I liked that each category had 'positive' and 'negative' aspects that fill it up. A great idea and simple to implement, I really liked this one!
Interned To Carry Your Burdens (Beth)
Long sick and tired of having to carry your own stuff, you reach out to the local college to offer credit in exchange for an internship. Each intern comes with a unique negative, but they all come with the same benefits: they'll carry as much stuff as you want and they're self-sufficient! No worrying about their hunger, thirst, or even whether they take damage thanks to the college's gracious donation of plot armour to each intern - if only we adventurers could get some!
Another great idea for having a companion around and finding ways to include them in the role-play, I really enjoyed the handy table provided of typical 'assistant' stereotypes and the various ways they may get on the nerves of the party. I love to present fun role-playing opportunities for players and this definitely provides that, as well as a way to not have to worry about encumbrance rules quite so much!
Is It Magical? (rossum)
You'll never know what you come across in the city. Anything can be an item of power, imbued with energies unknown for purposes unknown. When in doubt, ask the oracle.
This one has a simple purpose, but a useful one that addresses one of the most common questions in Fantasy TTRPGs - 'Is the loot we just found magical?'. Well now there's a handy wheel that answers that question for players! I did also like the nice touch of adding some Modern Fantasy themed magical domains to the wheel that might inspire a GM to decide the magical effect of the item!
Lēglē Binding (Xoe)
This single card is designed to provide a governing force to your modern fantasy campaign. Proceed if you'd like to enter territory that is viciously non-violent.
This card provides the inspiration for a setting and its governing body just in the form of few simple rules that players entering the location would be expected to abide by. I loved that the laws were focused on enforcing non-violence, but some of the punishments for disobedience were rather violent in themselves, and I could definitely see plenty of scenarios where the laws could mess with players' plans.
Underground (M. Allen Hall)
A Tube Crawl: procedural generation of a subway system and rules for traveling the subway for modern fantasy TTRPG play.
Urban Fantasy or Modern Fantasy are really interesting genres and cards like this allow for very modern concepts to be included in useful ways. If you're imagining a travel system that isn't magical teleportation, then why not the Tube? It could make for an interesting place to find quests, NPCs, or even combat!
Magical Mood Board (Jules Ford)
A card used for TTRPG character development. Pull together your character's deepest wishes and desires, then find out if they come true!
Knowing what motivates your character is always incredibly important when making one. And this card is designed to ask those questions - what does your character truly want? And what will they do to get it?
Mendenwell Mine (aktheodore)
It was a very productive gold mine until the town's mysterious abandonment overnight. The stories are numerous and vary widely...disaster, monsters, secret experiments ... Explore various buildings and locations and see what you find! Can you figure out what happened here? Will you even survive?
Location cards are always fun, and I liked this one a lot because it put some thought into the kinds of things you might find in an abandoned mine location and some items that might be found. It is definitely the kind of place that suits being system agnostic well as well!
Miniature Millinery (C.R. Legge)
Miniature Millinery contains four unique pieces of headwear for use in your system/game.
A lot of these card concepts are very simple in nature, and do exactly what they say on the tin! The four pieces of headwear included on this card are well thought out and would be fun additions to plenty of games, and also serve the very inspiring purpose of making me want to come up with a dozen more ideas!
Monkey Barrel (Weird Giraffe Games)
Monkeys could be super helpful depending on the situation! They can climb, do basic tasks, and are great at finding bananas. However, if you try to get the wrong monkey for a task or way too many monkeys, chaos can ensue!
I mean the concept of this almost looks like it could be a game in itself, but what this actually provides is a rather amusing source of chaotic aid for players seeking to complete a task in any system. Magical items are always fun, and this one in particular has the potential for some hilarious role-play!
MOSAIC Creature Creator (Marc Strocks)
A simple character creation system created for any games. Humans will mostly think you're human, unless you're monsterized! Then, you're at full power but your instincts take the front seat...
Another card themed around characters that have an inner beast, but this time its at character creation stage instead of of when taking an injury or damage. I enjoyed the idea of picking two vices to lean ion when role-playing and to gain mechanical benefits. I did also notice a 'Traverse The City' card from the same creator!
Multi-Level Magic (Mitchell Daily)
Ever wish you could calm down your kids, peek into your partner's brain, teleport to work, or throw a fireball at your neighbor's tree that keeps dropping leaves on your side of the fence? Join the Amp-You-Let team so you can gain access to these amazing spells and more! Encourage your friends, family, coworkers, and acquaintances to also join our family and you will see your powers increase!
A pyramid scheme for non-magic users? What could possibly be more modern fantasy than that? Honestly, I loved this as a concept, I thought it was a super fun idea and I can fully imagine a lot of chaos coming out of a character trying to engage in magic this way.
mxtp (dión//isle in the heavens)
Drop this cassette tape into a game where you want the characters to have some vague chance of influencing their immediate fate and let them try to explore its origins at their own peril.
First up, the design of this card Is STUNNING and it is worth checking out for that alone! Beyond that, the concept is so much fun! This would work amazingly as a magical item in almost any setting, with a bit of re-flavouring to suit it, and could make for some amazing role-play paired with spectacular consequences if the tape's curse is activated.
My Kitchen Sponge Tells Me Secrets Of The Void (DonnieDynamo)
This one card supplement provides a concept for an Item/NPC and potential quest line. A sponge is good at making things go away. Is there something you wish to feed to the void?
This concept is SO creepy and I absolutely loved it! There is something about taking a mundane object and turning it into something horrifying that appeals to me on so many levels. I will absolutely be using this in a game of mine somewhere along the line!
No Words, Save Death (Alfred Valley)
No Words, Save Death is a business card-size procedure for death saves in TTRPGs. It is wordless — designed to be understood entirely visually — and requires two coins and preferably a cup.
I'm a big fan of the gorgeous design of this card, and love that it doesn't actually contain any words as it gives it a very powerful weight (though there are plain text instructions that summarise the what the pictures are trying to convey, in the interest of accessibility). A great addition to this collection!
Non Fungible Spells (Ave)
They are specialized magical enchantments that manifest as executables on the electronic device that installed them.
This was yet another card concept that impressed me with how well it fit into the theme of Modern Fantasy. A lot of my favourites in this collection have been the ones that combine magical concepts with digital context and this meets that brief perfectly!
One Last Night (MetaMageStudios)
What would you do if you were a vampire and knew your time was coming to and end? Would you seek power? Revenge? Redemption?
Players take on the roles of vampires watching the sunrise until their inevitable end. Players play to find out how their vampires spend what precious few hours they have before turning to ash.
The first of the cards I came across that was an adventure module in itself, I liked the very simple ruleset presented within this to track time and decide upon success! I definitely think there is a lot of potential here for good role play here, given the tragic vampire storyline that the module comes with, and it would work well with lots of different systems if adapted!
Patchwork Memories (Aaron Goss)
That awkward first kiss. Satisfaction from a job well done. An old friend’s last smile. You can sew a patch from any kind of memory. Keep them close. Cherish them often.
Think back on your beloved memories, friend. Craft and sew their patches onto your memory keeper, and carry them with you wherever you go.
This could actually serve as an important tool for lots of different games - both for players to keep track of the defining moments of their character's lives, and for GMs to take note of and refer back to in order to keep role play interesting! I also quite like the idea of incorporating memory into the gameplay mechanics somehow...
Places Of The First Mosaic (K-Ramstack)
Two system-agnostic areas/settings intended for the Modern Fantasy genre. 'The Call Of The Last Phone' is a small island home only to a single telephone that wants only to be answered. 'The Numbered Complex' is a mysterious apartment building that changes depending on the day of the week.
Kaden is an exceptionally talented game designer, and so I knew that whatever he had come up with would be good. Truly, some of my favourite settings come from just a small poem or couple of sentences, where the rest is left to the imagination of the reader, and these two settings are an EXCELLENT example of that. The moment I saw the cards, I immediately had a ton of ideas on what I could do with them! They are gorgeously designed too - I thoroughly recommend taking a look at these!
Residential Registration Form (Binary Star Games)
An extremely normal Residential Registration form/ character creation method.
I truly enjoyed the way that this character creation form became more and more sinister and suspicious as I read through it, and this is another example of taking something pretty boring, modern, and mundane and turning it into something slightly horrifying and magical.
RODERE The Rat God (Marren'sMusings)
Beneath the ground swirls a newly forming God, churning in on itself, squirming and wriggling Their multitude of bodies together. The Rat God, a ball of writhing rats that have become psychically and spiritually one, is a new God, God of the lost, the forlorn, the catcher of prayers mumbled into cheap vodka, defender of those fallen between the cracks of society, and the hope of the downtrodden.
The description of this deity is already both exceptionally creepy and intriguing to me, and I can absolutely see it playing out well in a variety of settings (modern or not)! I like the cards that have a very distinct focus on a small but interpretable concept best (like an NPC, an item, or a location) and whether you want this as a deity, an interesting NPC, or a terrifying encounter, it is sure to be a lot of fun for players.
Skeleton Key (gcmxyz)
This is a SKELETON KEY for use in any tabletop role-playing game. When your player character finds it, you can either permanently set the use by rolling 1D6, or choose to keep it open and roll against any of its abilities. Failure has predictable consequences, success might have quite unpredictable consequences.
This item had a really interesting concept actually, and keys are absolutely often an overlooked item in many TTRPG games. Many players who encounter things that are locked would rather try to sneak or finesse their way into a space, or bash the door down than find a key. And it's an innocuous looking object really designed for only one purpose. So I love the potential within using this and players discovering that they've just found something that could be potentially game-changing in all senses of the word!
Something Changed (Adam Stichter)
Sometimes when you arrive at a place, it hasn't stayed the same.
This card does a very good job of finding interesting ways to mark a long passage of time. Especially if a GM decides to guide a character towards their old home town, or a place that they have not been for some time. Using this card can show the influence of a PCs actions, or an NPC/faction's influence too, so having a system that asks those questions is a very good idea!
The Box (tallywinkle)
An old woman sits along the side of a road next to a cardboard box and a sign that reads "FREE to good home"...
This card contains no words. Just illustrations. And that makes it incredibly interesting because at that point any lore surrounding what the titled 'Box' might contain is left entirely to the imagination. Such a fun idea!
The Gem & Mineral Shoppe (Jason Wardell)
If you've seen one, you've seen them all. Where there is a goldrush mountain town or an asteroid-harvesting colony or a vertiginous spiraling quarry, there is The Gem & Mineral Shoppe. Outwardly, they trade in tchotchkes for children: polished stones and rods of crystalline sugar. To one in the know, it is an ages-old fence for all manner of sparkly things and a purveyor of esoteric jewels and coveted trinkets.
This card provides a fascinating location idea to slot into any setting and system, and I really liked that lots of different aspects have been covered. Whether its the business owners, the stock that is sold there, or the trinkets that can perhaps be obtained through other means, there are plenty of points of interest to be found.
The Ley Line (Games By Mitch)
Magic pulses along train lines, empowering mages and giving life to cities. Use dice and pens to create a complex magical web across an urban fantasy city, and explore the dark secrets and deep warrens of the train system.
This is another system that allows the construction of a Tube/Subway map, but with a slightly more magical twist. In this, it serves as a location too, or an integral part of a city setting. I loved the idea behind some of the arcane twists incorporated into this card, and I think it has an interesting method of constructing the subway system to begin with!
Traffic Oracle (Spring Villager)
You step away from your companions, drawn to the middle of the pedestrian bridge. A deep breath... then the symphony of traffic below envelops you. You enter a trance and stare into the ever-shifting dance of vehicles and pedestrians. Amidst the roar of engines, the City itself begins to speak. Tonight, you scry not with mirrors or water, but the pulse of urban life.
This concept is so gorgeous, just that writing alone has me thoroughly hooked. The card itself does not disappoint in the slightest either, creating a list of places that an oracle might choose to divine from in order to seek specific knowledge about something, and the results of what they see and what that portends. This is definitely one of my favourites!
Trash Companion (Rebecca Strang)
Trash Companion is a module for an animal companion. Your companion is a shapeshifter and loves to collect food and shiny things. Sometimes this is useful and... sometimes not.
This is a fun little card that introduces the player to a familiar that has some arcane potential, but in a lot of ways I liked that its shape-shifting abilities were limited to pigeon or raccoon. Each creature has its own abilities, and uses, but doesn't become so overpowered that it provides the answer to all of the game's challenges.
Urban Animal Trail Maps (Riles)
A short procedure for finding out where an animal went while it was in the city. One six-sided die and a means of drawing on a map are all that is necessary to play with this fragment. It can be used by any number of players, and works in GM-less play.
I absolutely adore this as a concept because it is just one of those tools that is USEFUL to a GM, especially in a pinch! I like the map-making aspect to it a lot, and I really love the roll tables that yield different results dependant on the type of animal? Some of which will leave behind no evidence of their route, while others might leave behind witnesses, scent, or utter devastation!
Vox Viarum (Imaginary Thomas)
Painted and plastered on the concrete walls of the city are the scriptures of the streets. Graffiti is art on the oppressive and rigid architecture of urban environments. If you're ever lost or looking for answers consult the walls for answers.
Another really cool idea for an oracle in a Modern Fantasy setting, this time using the graffiti on the walls to gain insight and answers into whatever your player wants to know. This card plays into the theme in such a cool way, impressive stuff!
Wall Magic (Sam Armstrong)
A modular TTRPG system that lets players use their magic to enhance their graffiti to new heights. Maybe you'll change the hearts of the people, weaken a powerful figure or monster, or just give yourself superpowers while the art remains.
Its a really fun idea, as in the previous fragment, to give graffiti some kind of magical influence. And in a Modern Fantasy setting, it fits perfectly! The question prompts do a great job of inspiring the players to think about some of the magical effects their graffiti might have too!
When You Want To Learn The Deep Lore... (breathingstories)
For prompting lore creation. When you want to learn the deep of any item or place.
Lore creation? Sounds like my kind of thing! Seriously though, the styling of this card is absolutely gorgeous and I think that one of my favourite things about this deck is the sheer amount of interesting ways to approach divination magic in the Modern Fantasy setting! Dependant on which sense you pick and what you roll, you learn a really interesting snippet that can flavour a game really well without becoming an overwhelming list of facts.
With This Card I Thee Bond: The Cynic (Sticky Doodler)
Establish dramatic and thematic relationships between player characters in any tabletop role-playing game. Unlike many relationship mechanics that only happen during character generation, these cards continue deepening your character's relationships over time. Each card reflects a personality archetype, not a character class or role, so they're compatible with almost any genre of game.
Some of the best games I've played have been those that have pre-established character bonds which were formed by asking a couple of questions - one to the left and one to the right of the player. It allows you to create a moment between players that is sacred to them, and I like that this is a planned series based on personality archetypes!
Your Nemesis Spawns (Pablo Dapena)
Roll the foe (or friend?) you will face in your adventure! Check out this Antagonist Creator!
We all love a good enemy, and this was a great addition to this card set because it gives you the tools needed to create one! I liked the roll tables, the card itself had a gorgeous design, and it did a really good job of sparking the imagination whether you're a player creating a backstory or a facilitator creating the game's BBEG!
Your Next Fairy Ring (somewhere with stories)
A small ruleset about finding fairy rings on your travels! Bring a D6, D3 and a coin along with you... and a gift for the fairies, of course.
My favourite thing about this final card is the design of it, it is STUNNING. Alongside that, it has an exceptionally simple set of roll tables that are there to inspire and spark the imagination more than anything. Fairy Rings are one of those fascinating, ethereal, and terrifying forms of magic that work well in almost any setting, including Modern or Urban Fantasy!
I decided to do a cheeky randomised card pull in order to test whether I could create a small game from five cards. After all, the idea behind this is that combining these rulesets can form or at least inspire its very own TTRPG concept themed around Modern Fantasy. I pulled five cards:
Anti Verbal Wizard Law
Blossoms Of Power
Chthonic Metro Gods
RODERE The Rat God
When You Want To Learn The Deep Lore...
These were an interesting set of cards to work with actually, and I came up with the following concept pretty quickly. The exercise proved a lot of fun, and demonstrated wonderfully just how great this set of cards is!
Firstly, I decided that the 'Rat God' from RODERE The Rat God was a figure central to the game's story and objective. A sleeping deity that is rumoured to be able to better the lives of those that suffer within the game's city location, if it could only be awoken. Chthonic Metro Gods provides me the three stages that must be completed in order to awaken this slumbering deity, and I thought When You Want To Learn The Deep Lore... gave some interesting ideas on how players would look for signs and clues as to what they needed to do in order to complete these three stages. But why do our players WANT to wake it up? Well the city is strictly anti-magic (Anti Verbal Wizard Law), and they have all been gifted with this very illegal power. Exactly what that power looks like is entirely up to them to decide using Blossoms Of Power, and they are welcome to use it. As long as they aren't caught...
There was a lot of content to spotlight, but I hope you enjoyed reading about 'Tiny Library: Modern Fantasy'! Check out their itch jam submission page to see these, and a number of other fragments that didn't make it into the final project, as they had a LOT of submissions! Long Tail Games are currently crowdfunding this project over on Gamefound, so click the link to check it out and back it if it sounds like your cup of tea!
Comments